The fire started in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and spread into Gatlinburg after hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines. The winds blew embers in all directions, which led to the large fire.

More than 14,000 people were forced to evacuate Gatlinburg quickly, leading to dozens of injuries -- some fire-related, others due to the quick evacuation.

People in the town described the scene as "people running for their lives."

Starting Friday, people will be allowed to go back to their homes and property to see the damage. Roads won't be open to the public until Wednesday.

Reporters who were allowed in the community on Thursday found many homes that were badly damaged or destroyed. In one house, the only thing left standing was a statue of Jesus.

About 10,000 acres burned inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- the nation's most visited national park. Another 6,000 burned outside the park. The fire came to the doorstep of Dollywood, which was mostly spared.

A Dollywood employee said he found a message in the damage at the theme park -- a Bible passage, burned badly by the fire. The spared section: Joel 1:15-16, which reads "The day of the LORD is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be! To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field."

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The search and rescue process has taken a week, but as of Thursday, officials believed they would be able to finish their search efforts by Friday.

But officials were cautiously optimistic during news conferences throughout the week, saying the community would rebuild and that they were relying on faith to get them through.